Detroit Lions

Remembering Calvin Johnson's Best Fantasy Football Performances

Published Mar. 9, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET

foxsports

After nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, Calvin Johnson has decided to hang up his cleats and retire. For what Johnson's career lacked in longevity, he made up for it with some truly explosive performances. Let's take a look at the top-5 fantasy football games in Johnson's illustrious career.

Ed note: Fantasy points are determined by 1 point per reception, 1 point per 10 receiving yards, and 6 points per touchdown.

5. Week 7 (10/31/10) against Washington

9 receptions, 101 yards, 3 touchdowns (37.1 fantasy points)

In 135 career games, Johnson had more than two touchdowns receptions in a single game just twice. This three-score effort against Washington slightly edged out the Thanksgiving Day three-TD whooping Johnson put on the Eagles in his final season, which would end up being his last truly dominant performance before ankle injuries slowed him down the rest of the way.

4. Week 9 (11/11/12) against Minnesota

12 receptions, 207 yards, 1 touchdown (40.7 fantasy points)

With his size, speed and ball skills, Johnson was a nightmare in his physical prime. In 2012 he was at the peak of his powers, hauling in 122 catches for nearly 2,000 receiving yards (1,964) in a historic season. In this particular game against Minnesota, Johnson nabbed every target but one, rendering Minnesota's secondary absolutely powerless to stop him. This was vintage Megatron.

3. Week 16 (1/1/12) against Green Bay

11 receptions, 244 yards, 1 touchdown (41.4 fantasy points)

Johnson had a habit of torching divisional foes, and it was the Packers who felt his wrath on this night. Johnson ended up with 244 receiving yards in a 45-41 loss to Green Bay, racking up a whopping 17 targets in the process. Matthew Stafford would wisely lock in on Johnson a lot during their careers together, especially in shootouts like this one.

2. Week 14 (12/18/11) against Oakland

9 receptions, 214 yards, 2 touchdowns (42.4 fantasy points)

In a game with playoff implications on the road against Oakland, the Lions were down six with a little over two minutes remaining...and they had to start from their own 2-yard-line. As we learned time and time again, nothing is impossible when you have Calvin Johnson. Megatron racked up catches of 21 and 48 yards on the drive and eventually capped off the comeback with a game-winning 6-yard touchdown reception. Johnson's best games didn't always coincide with wins for Detroit, but this might have been the most clutch performance of his career.

1. Week 8 (10/27/13) against Dallas

14 receptions, 329 yards, 1 touchdown (52.9 fantasy points)

Here's where Megatron nearly broke a record that has stood since 1989. Johnson's 329 receiving yards against Dallas are the second most of all-time, just narrowly behind Flipper Anderson's 336 yards. Getting 32.9 fantasy points from yardage alone is almost unfathomable, and the performance was huge in real life as well. Down six with a minute left and 80 yards to go, Johnson nabbed catches of 17 and 22 yards to setup a game-winning QB sneak for Matthew Stafford.

The great ones always leave plenty of lasting memories before they go, and football fans everywhere will have these performances and many others to remember fondly forever. Enjoy your retirement, Calvin. You earned it.